Method and apparatus for delustering plastic thread for textiles



y 14, 1954 A. J. TLAMICHA 3,140,526

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DELUSTERING PLASTIC THREAD FOR TEXTILES Filed March 17. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet l VARIABLE SPEED B REVERSIBLE MOTOR INVENI'OQ ADOLF :ZIHOSL/QV TLAM/CHA y 14, 1964 A. J. TLAMICHA 3,140,526

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DELUSTERING PLASTIC TliREAD FOR TEXTILES Filed March 17. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mPREeNATme FINISHING 0R WATER 0R STEAM ANTI-SNAG 7 20o MATERIAL w PIVOTAL SUPPORT ARM INVENTOK ADOLF JAROSLAV TLAMICHA BY fi oeb and ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,140,526 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DELUSTERING PLASTIC THREAD FOR TEXTILES Adolf Jaroslav Tlamicha, Gellerstrasse 3,

Goppingen, Wurttemberg, Germany Filed Mar. 17, 1961, Ser. No. 96,418 Claims priority, application Switzerland Mar. 25, 1960 30 Claims. (Cl. 28-67) The present invention relates to a method and an ap paratus for delustering monofilament or multifilament thread which is made of highly molecular plastics, for example, polyamide.

In the manufacture of such plastic thread it is wellknown that, due to the rapid cooling to which the thread has to be subjected after being formed, the outer surface of the thread becomes extremely smooth and much harder than the inner core of the thread. Textile fabrics which are produced of such plastic thread then have a high gloss which is often regarded as very undesirable. Although numerous efforts have been made to overcome this high gloss by special delustering agents and treatments, the results attained have so far been very inadequate and unsatisfactory, especially also since the slight delustering which can possibly be attained diminishes or even disappears entirely when the textile article has been in use for some time. It is also known to deluster such plastic thread by roughening or abrading its outer surface. These known roughening or abrading methods, however, incur the danger that the surface of the thread will be roughened or abraded unevenly and only at one side, and often so severely that the thread will break. This occurs particularly when roughening or abrading multifilament thread. For want of a better method for producing a lasting delustered effect, plastic multifilament thread has even been roughened intentionally to such an extent that some of the individual threads are torn. Obviously, such uneven and severe roughening considerably impairs the mechanical properties of the thread, for example, it increases the ductility of the thread excessively and decreases its tensile strength considerably.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a very simple method and an inexpensive apparatus for delustering monofilament or multifilament thread of highly molecular plastics, for example, polyamides, by superficially brading or bufiing the entire surface of such thread uniformly on all sides throughout its length so that the original circular cross section of the thread and its mechanical properties will remain unimpaired.

For attaining the above-mentioned object, the plastic thread is passed tangentially over a rotating roughening or abrading wheel in a direction oblique to the longitudinal axis of the wheel. Due to this tangential movement of the thread over the roughening wheel, the thread will be turned repeatedly about its own axis. For this purpose, the thread is preferably passed once or repeatedly at an oblique angle over a part of the peripheral surface of the rotating roughening wheel by feeding it either in the direction of the rotation of this wheel or in the opposite direction.

By proceeding in this manner the plastic thread will be uniformly but only superficially abraded or roughened at all points of its outer surface and along its entire length so that the undesired gloss will be completely and permanently eliminated. The dull finish of the thread will therefore remain during its entire subsequent use. The roughening or abrading operation renders the feel of the thread much softer so that it can no longer be distinguished from natural yarn. Furthermore, since by the removal of the hard, shell-like outer surface, the new surface of the thread is much more porous, dyes will penetrate much more quickly into the thread so that the period required 3 ,140,526 Patented July 14, 1964 for dying the textiles made of such thread will be considerably reduced and the color fastness of such textiles will be improved.

Since the roughening operation is only superficial insofar as only the thin hard shell-like outer surface is roughened, while the softer inner core of the thread will not be touched, the mechanical properties of the thread will not be impaired. Thus, for example, a thread of 20 denier has a diameter of 48 and the thickness of the hard outer layer amounts to about 5 The roughening operation according to the invention is, however, so superficial as to reach only to a depth of about 0.5 Therefore, the mechanical properties such as the ductility and the tensile strength of the thread will not be impaired regardless of whether the thread is of the monofilament or multifilament type, inasmuch as individual threads cannot possibly be damaged or torn, as it is the usual case when one of the known roughening operations is carried out. It is furthermore a very great advantage over all previous delustering methods that the roughening or abrading effect according to the invention remains absolutely uniform over the entire length of the thread, that is, over a length of many thousands of meters.

The roughening operation according to the invention also does not require any separate working step since it may be carried out in the course of the necessary spooling or rewinding of the thread. The bobbins will also be wound much better and more uniformly since the layers of thread which are wound upon each other no longer engage with each other along a surface but only at points. The thread may thus be unreeled much more easily, with less resistance, and more uniformly.

In accordance with the purpose or the kind of textile article for which the thread is to be used, it is advisable to vary the degree of roughening the same. This may be done by different procedures, for example, by means of an adjustable thread brake or by varying the looping angle of the thread on the roughening wheel or by varying the ratio between the speed of the thread feed and the adjustable peripheral speed of the rotating, powerdriven roughening or abrading wheel, or by changing the inclination between the axis of the roughening or abrading wheel and the direction of the thread thereon, or by a combination of several of these procedures. By varying the degree of roughening the thread, it is easily possible to attain textile products of different appearance. Thus, for example, if the roughening operation is carried out more severely, the thread will have a duller finish and the color effect will be increased.

According to another feature of the invention, the plastic thread may be sprayed either prior to, during, or after the roughening operation with one or several agents of the kind as subsequently mentioned. This may be done by conventional spraying means. Spraying the thread with water either prior to or during the roughening operation is of advantage especially if the thread is relatively thick and if it extends around the roughening wheel at a large looping angle and excessive frictional heating of the thread should be avoided by cooling it. Spraying the plastic thread with steam softens the surface which is to be roughened and therefore accelerates the roughening operation. Spraying the thread with a lubricant such as oil, glycerin or the like improves the further workability of the thread, for example, its passage through a textile machine or its spooling upon a bobbin or its unreeling therefrom. Spraying the plastic thread after the roughening operation with an impregnating material, a finishing material, or an antisnag material is of advantage if the thread is later to be used, for example, for textiles which are to be provided with either of these materials.

The apparatus for roughening or abrading monofilament or multifilament thread in accordance with the inventive method comprises a rotating, power-driven roughening wheel or roller. The plastic thread is passed over this wheel or roller in a direction oblique to the longitudinal axis thereof so as to engage with a part of its peripheral surface. The roughening roller or wheel preferably consists, for example, of a fine-grained silicon abrasive. Its speed of rotation is preferably adjustable and the direction of its rotation is preferably reversible.

By passing the plastic thread at an oblique angle over a part of the peripheral surface of the roughening wheel, the thread will be positively turned many times about its own axis. This turning insures that the entire surface of the thread will be uniformly roughened along its entire length and that it will retain its circular cross section. After the roughening operation, the thread will either twist back to its original condition because of its inner resilience or it will remain more or less twisted depending upon the distance provided between the roughening wheel and the bobbin or the textile machine.

The features and advantages of the present invention will become more clearly apparent from the following detailed description which is to be read with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which FIGURE 1 shows a front view of a rotating roughening or abrading wheel and of a guide pulley in the operation of roughening a plastic thread;

FIGURE 2 shows a side view of the arrangement according to FIGURE 1;

FIGURES 3 to 8 show diagrammatic views of different shapes of roughening rollers or abrading wheels according to the invention;

FIGURE 9 shows a highly enlarged side view of a piece of a monofilament thread prior to being roughened;

FIGURE 10 shows a similar view of the same piece of thread after being roughened;

FIGURE 11 is a somewhat schematic front view of an abrading or roughening installation in accordance with the present invention, somewhat similar to FIGURE 1 herein and showing certain further features thereof; and

FIGURE 12 is a schematic partial front view, similar to FIGURES l and 11 and showing a modified embodiment in accordance with the present invention.

As illustrated in FIGURE 1, the plastic thread 1 is applied tangentially upon a power-driven roughening or abrading wheel 2 in the direction of arrow A, and it runs over a part of the peripheral surface of this wheel, then over a guide pulley 3 and then again tangentially over the opposite side of the roughening wheel 2 from which it is either wound in the usual manner upon a bobbin or passed directly to a textile machine.

As indicated in FIGURE 2, the plastic thread 1 is also passed in an oblique direction over the surface of roughening wheel 2. Due to this oblique movement, the thread will be positively turned or twisted many times about its own axis so that its entire smooth shell-like outer surface as indicated in FIGURE 9 will be uniformly abraded or ground off by the roughening or abrading wheel 2 and the thread will thereafter have a uniformly roughened appearance throughout its length, as indicated in FIGURE 10. This roughening or abrading operation also results in a thorough delustering of the thread, and the dull finish thus attained will remain permanently and the thread will never again become glossy. Since the surface of the thread is removed uniformly and only superficially, the thread will retain all of its important properties and advantages as previously described.

FIGURE 11 illustrates in front elevation a roughening or abrading installation in accordance with the present invention. The plastic filament 1 supplied from any suitable supply, for example, from bobbin is fed, after passage through an adjustable brake 6 of conventional construction to the roughening or abrading wheel 2. In the course of the engagement of the filament 1 with the surfaces of the roughening or abrading wheel 2, the surfaces of the filament 1 are roughened or abraded as described above by the production of microscopically small grooves. After leaving the roughening or abrading wheel 2, the filament 1 is then wound on bobbin 8 in any conventional manner, for example, by the use of a reciprocating guide loop 9 of conventional construction. In order to enable a change in the angle that the filament 1 makes with the axis of the roughening or abrading wheel 2, adjustable eyelets or guide loops 7 are provided (FIGURES l, 2, and 11) which are so constructed and arranged as to permit the displacement of these guide loops 7 in the axial direction of the wheel 2. For example, as is well known, this may be achieved by mounting the loops 7 on threaded spindles which, in turn, engage with axially stationary but rotatable internally threaded members whereupon upon rotation in the one or the other direction, the axial position of the guide loops 7 may be selectively varied. However, it is understood that instead of such conventional adjusting arrangement, any other known adjusting arrangement may be utilized.

In order to enable a change in the ratio between the feeding speed of the filament 1 and the peripheral speed of the roughening or abrading wheel 2, the latter is driven from any suitable adjustable driving means, such as, a conventional variable speed electric motor 11. To enable rotation of the wheel 2 in the direction B or C (FIG- URE l), the electric motor 11 may also be of the reversible type though it is understood that any other conventional reversing means may be used.

FIGURE 12 illustrates a front view of a modified arrangement, similar to FIGURES l and 11 in which the filament 1 is passed twice over the same side of the roughening or abrading wheel 2 in mutually opposite directions. Furthermore, in order to change the looping angle, that is, the are along which the filament 1 engages with the surfaces of the roughening or abrading wheel 2, the guide pulley 3 may be mounted so as to vary its position relative to the roughening or abrading wheel 2. This is indicated schematically in FIGURE 12 by the dash and dot are 14, whereby any suitable means may be utilized to adjustably move the pulley 3 along this are 14, for example, by providing a support arm for the pulley 3 which is rotatably or pivotally mounted about the axis of the wheel 2 in such a manner that it may be secured in any desired position. Since such means are well known in the art, a detailed showing thereof is dispensed with herein. In FIGURE 11, reference numerals 20a indicate schematically conventional nozzles that may be used to spray the filament with water or steam whereas nozzle 20b may be utilized to spray the filament with an impregnating, finishing or anti-snag material while nozzle 200 may be utilized to spray the filament 1 with a lubricant. These nozzles are of conventional known construction and the particular location thereof is not limited to that shown schematically only in FIGURE 11.

The degree to which the plastic thread 1 may be roughened may be varied by different means. Thus, for example, it is possible to regulate the tension of the thread by means of the adjustable brake 6 (FIGURE 11) so that the frictional pressure at which the thread engages with the roughening wheel 2 may be adjusted at will. The degree of roughening may also be varied by changing the degree of the oblique angle between the direction of the thread and of the longitudinal axis of the roughening wheel 2 by means of adjustable guide loops 7 (FIGURE 2) and also by changing the looping angle of the thread on the roughening wheel by means of the adjustable guide pulley 3 adapted to be selectively displaced along the arcuate path 13 (FIGURE 12). In the latter case, the plastic thread 1 may, for example, be guided so as to pass both times over the same side of the roughening Wheel 2. For this purpose, guide pulley 3 may also be pivotably mounted about the axis of the roughening or abrading wheel 2 by any conventional means operable to displace wheel 2 along the arcuate path 14, as mentioned hereinabove, so that, when it is pivoted further away from the side of the enr1! :3 gagement of the thread with the roughening or abrading wheel 2, the looping angle of the thread or the length of its engagement with the roughening wheel will be increased.

The degree of roughening is also dependent upon the variable difference between the feeding speed of the thread and the adjustable peripheral speed of the roughening wheel 2 realized by varying the speed of motor 11 (FIG- URE 2). A still further variation of the roughening action may be attained by rotating the roughening wheel 2 either in the direction of arrow B, that is, opposite to the direction of feed of the thread, as indicated by arrow A, or by rotating the roughening wheel 2 in the same direction as the thread feed, as indicated by arrow C, again realized by means of the reversible motor 11 (FIGURE 2). If the roughening wheel is driven in the first-mentioned direction, the bobbins will be wound more tightly than when it is driven in the last-mentioned direction.

In order to increase the twisting of the thread about its own longitudinal axis during the roughening or abrading operation, it has also been found advisable to make the roughening roller or abrading wheel 2 of a shape different from a cylindrical shape as shown in FIGURE 2. Thus, for example, it may be made in the shape of a frustum as shown in FIGURE 3, or of a double frustum in which the bases of the two frustums face either toward each other, as shown in FIGURE 4, or in opposite directions, as shown in FIGURE 5. The roughening or abrading wheel may, however, also be of a convex, barrellike shape, as shown in FIGURE 6, or of a concave shape, as shown in FIGURE 7, or its central part may be made cylindrical and be provided with outwardly flaring flanges, as shown in FIGURE 8. By being fed over the roughening or abrading wheel at an oblique angle to the axis thereof, the plastic thread has in each of these wheel shapes the tendency to run toward the side with an increasing diame ter and it will thus be positively twisted many times about its own axis.

The threads of the present invention are, as mentioned above, monofilament or multifilament threads of highly molecular plastics, especially polyamides, on the order of 20 denier or 48 diameter. The term filaments as used hereinafter in the appended claims is to be considered limited to such monoand multifilament threads.

Although my invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, I wish to have it understood that it is in no way limited to the details of such embodiments, but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim is:

1. A method of abrading filaments of highly molecular plastics on an abrading element the diameter of which varies along its longitudinal axis, comprising the steps of positively rotating said element and continuously passing said filament substantially tangentially over said element in a direction oblique to the longitudinal axis thereof, whereby said filament while being abraded by its engagement with said element is positively turned about its own axis so that the entire surface of the filament will be abraded substantially uniformly on all sides and throughout its entire length and the original cross-section of the filament and its mechanical properties will remain substantially unchanged, the varying diameter of said element increasing the tendency of said obliquely extending filament to turn about its own longitudinal axis during the abrading operation.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, in which the filament is fed at least once over a part of the peripheral surface of said revolving roughening element in the direction of the rotation of said element.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, in which the filament is fed at least once over a part of the peripheral 6 surface of said revolving roughening element in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of said element.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of controlling the degree of roughening of the filament by varying the tension of the filament and thus its pressure upon the revolving roughening element.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of controlling the degree of roughening of the filament by varying the looping angle of the filament on said roughening element.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of controlling the degree of roughening of the filament by varying the degree of the oblique angle between the filament feed and the longitudinal axis of said roughening element.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of controlling the degree of roughening of the filament by varying the ratio between the feeding speed of the filament and the adjustable peripheral speed of said roughening element.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of spraying the filament with water for cooling the same.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of spraying the unroughened filament with steam to soften the surface thereof.

10. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of spraying the roughened filament with a lubricant.

11. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of spraying the roughened filament with an impregnating material.

12. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of spraying the roughened filament with a finishing material.

13. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of spraying the roughened filament with an antisnag material.

14. An apparatus for abrading a filament of highly molecular plastic substantially uniformly on all sides thereof and throughout its entire length without substantially changing the original cross-section of the filament and its mechanical properties, comprising a rotary abrading element the diameter of which varies in the direction of its longitudinal axis, means for driving said element so as to positively rotate the same about its axis, and means for continuously feeding said filament substantially tangentially over said element and in engagement therewith in a direction oblique to the longitudinal axis of said element, said driving means rotating said element at a speed different from the feeding speed of the filament produced by said feeding means, whereby said filament while being abraded by its engagement with said element is positively turned about its own axis so that the entire surface thereof is uniformly abraded on all sides, the varying diameter of said element increasing the tendency of said obliquely extending filament to turn about its own longitudinal axis during the abrading operation.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, in which said roughening element substantially consists of a finegrained silicon abrasive.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, further comprising a guide pulley, said thread being adapted to be passed first over and into engagement with said roughening element, then from said element over said guide pulley, and then back to and into engagement with said element.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, in which, before passing over said guide pulley, said thread is adapted to engage with one side of the peripheral surface of said roughening element and, after passing over said guide pulley, said thread is adapted to engage with the opposite side of the peripheral surface of said roughening element.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, in which said thread is adapted to engage upon the same side of the peripheral surface of said roughening element before and after passing over said guide pulley.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 18, further comprising means for pivoting said guide pulley to different positions about the axis of said roughening element to vary the looping angle of the thread on said element.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, further comprising means for adjusting the distance between said guide pulley and the axis of said roughening element.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, in which said roughening element has a frusto-conical shape.

22. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, in which said roughening element has the shape of a double frustum in which the bases of the two frustums face toward each other.

23. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, in which said roughening element has the shape of a double frustum in which the bases of the two frustums face in opposite directions.

24. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, in which said roughening element forms a concave rotary body.

25. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, in which said roughening element forms a concave, barrellike body.

26. An apparatus as defined in claim 14, in which said roughening element forms a rotary body having a central cylindrical portion and outwardly flaring flanges at both sides of said central portion.

27. A method of roughening the surfaces of filaments of highly molecular plastics on a roughening element the diameter of which varies along its longitudinal axis, comprising the steps of positively rotating said element and continuously passing said filament over a surface portion of said element at an angle other than right angle to the longitudinal axis, whereby the filament while being roughed on its surfaces by its engagement with said element is simultaneously positively turned about its own axis so that the entire surface of the filament will be roughened substantially uniformly on all sides and throughout its entire length and the original cross section of the filament and its mechanical properties will remain substantially unchanged.

28. A method of roughening the surfaces of filaments of highly molecular plastics on a roughening element the diameter of which varies along its longitudinal axis, comprising the steps of treating said filament by spraying the same with a fluid, positively rotating said element and continuously passing said filament over a surface portion of said element at an angle other than right angle to the longitudinal axis, whereby the filament while being roughened on its surfaces by its engagement with said element is simultaneously positively turned about its own axis so that the entire surface of the filament will be roughened substantially uniformly on all sides and throughout its entire length and the original cross section of the filament and its mechanical properties will remain substantially unchanged.

29. A method of roughening the surfaces of filaments of highly molecular plastics on a roughening element the diameter of which varies along its longitudinal axis, comprising the steps of positively rotating said element and producing microscopic scratch grooves substantially uniformly over the entire surface of the filament by twisting said filament about its own axis while being passed over a surface portion of said element at an angle other than right angle to the longitudinal axis thereof so that the entire surface of the filament will be roughened substantially uniformly on all sides and throughout its entire length and the original cross section of the filament and its mechanical properties will remain substantially unchanged.

30. An apparatus for delustering filaments of highly molecular plastic substantially uniformly on all sides thereof and throughout its entire length without substantially changing the initial cross section of the filament and its mechanical properties, comprising a rotary roughening element the diameter of which varies along its longitudinal axis, means for driving said element so as to positively rotate the same about its axis, and means for continuously feeding said filament over a surface portion of said element and in engagement therewith at an angle other than right angle to the longitudinal axis of said element, said driving means rotating said element at a speed such that the speed of the filament during engagement with said element is substantially different from that of said element, whereby said filament while being roughened on its surfaces by its engagement with the surfaces of said element is positively turned about its own axis so that the entire surface thereof is uniformly roughened on all sides.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,957,508 Taylor May 8, 1934 2,244,333 Hanse June 3, 1941 2,517,694 Merion et a1. Aug. 8, 1950 2,599,603 Barker June 10, 1952 2,781,555 MacHenry Feb. 19, 1957 

14. AN APPARATUS FOR ABRADING A FILAMENT OF HIGHLY MOLECULAR PLATIC SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY ON ALL SIDES THEREOF AND THROUGHOUT ITS ENTIRE LENGTH WITHOUT SUBSTANTIALLY CHANGING THE ORIGINAL CROSS-SECTION OF THE FILAMENT AND ITS MECHANICAL PROPERTIES, COMPRISING A ROTARY ABRADING ELEMENT THE DIAMETER OF WHICH VARIES IN THE DIRECTION OF TIS LONGITUDINAL AXIS, MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID ELEMENT SO AS TO POSITIVELY ROTATE THE SAME ABOUT ITS AXIS, AND MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING SAID FILAMENT SUBSTANTIALLY TANGENTIALLY OVER SAID ELEMENT AND IN ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH IN A DIRECTION OBLIQUE TO THE LINGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID ELEMENT, SAID DRIVING MEANS ROTATING SAID ELEMENT AT A SPEED DIFFERENT FROM THE FEEDING SPEED OF THE FILAMENT PRODUCED BY SAID FEEDING MEANS, WHEREBY SAID FILAMENT WHILE BEING ABRADED BY ITS ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID ELEMENT IS POSTIVELY TURNED ABOUT ITS OWN AXIS SO THAT THE ENTIRE SURFACE THEREOF IS UNIFORMLY ABRADED ON ALL SIDES, THE VARYING DIAMETER OF SAID ELEMENT INCREASING THE TENDENCY OF SAID OBLIQUELY EXTENDING FILAMENT TO TURN ABOUT ITS OWN LONGITUDINAL AXIS DURING THE ABRADING OPERATION. 